Variant anatomy of the muscles of the anterior compartment of the leg in human fetuses at 4-6 months

Abstract

The objective is to find out the variant anatomy of the muscles of the anterior compartment of the leg in human fetuses at 4-6 months.Material and methods. The study was performed on 28 preparations of human fetuses of 81.0-230.0 mm parietal-coccygeal length (PCL) using macro-microscopic preparation, morphometry and statistical analysis.Results. The study of the structure and topography of the muscles of the anterior compartment of the leg in 26 human fetuses at 4-6 months revealed the classic sites of origin and attachment, the typical shape, and the number of muscles. Rare variants of the muscles of the anterior compartment of the leg have been found in two fetuses.Conclusions. The individual characteristics of the muscles of the anterior compartment of the lower leg in human fetuses are variations in their structure, shape, number, place of origin, and attachment. In most of the fetuses studied, the muscles of the anterior compartment of the lower leg had a classical origin, but the length and area of attachment varied with a tendency to lengthen and expand. The fetus of 105.0 mm PCL lateral and medial heads of the tibialis anterior muscle were detected, and an additional lower head of the long extensor muscle of the fingers was observed in the fetus of 175.0 mm PCL.